| Andrea
Bocelli, has been called "the fourth
tenor." A disciple of Luciano Pavarotti
and Zucchero Fornaciari, the blind,
Tuscany-born, vocalist has emerged as
one of the most exciting voices in
contemporary opera. His participation in
Pavarotti's 1992 hit, Miserere, and
Fornaciari's 1993 world tour brought him
international attention. Opera, however,
represents only one side of his musical
persona. Bocelli has been equally
successful as a pop ballad singer,
having recorded duets with Celine Dion,
Sarah Brightman and Eros Ramazzotti. Al
Jarreau, who sang with Bocelli during
The Night of Proms in November 1995,
praised Bocelli when he said, "I have
had the honor to sing with the most
beautiful voice in the world."
Bocelli grew up on a farm in Lajatico,
a rural village in Tuscany. Beginning
piano lessons at the age of six, he
later added flute and saxophone. Born
with poor eyesight, he became totally
blind at the age of 12 following a
soccer accident.
Despite his obvious musical talents,
Bocelli didn't consider a career in
music until he had studied law at the
University of Pisa and had earned a
Doctor Of Law degree. Inspired to pursue
music, he studied with famed tenor
Franco Corelli, supporting himself by
performing in piano bars.
Bocelli's first break as a singer
came in 1992 when Fornaciari auditioned
tenors to record a demo tape of
Miserere, which he had co-written with
Bono of U2. Successfully passing the
audition, Bocelli recorded the tune as a
duet with Pavarotti.
After touring with Fornaciari in
1993, Bocelli performed as a guest star
in the Pavarotti International Festival
held in Modena in September 1994. In
addition to performing solo and in a
duet with Pavarotti, Bocelli sang with
Bryan Adams, Andreas Vollenweider and
Nancy Gustafson. In November 1995,
Bocelli toured Holland, Belgium,
Germany, Spain and France with Night of
Proms, which also featured Al Jarreau,
Bryan Ferry, Roger Hodgson of Supertramp
and John Miles.
Bocelli's first two albums -- Andrea
Bocelli in 1994 and Bocelli in 1996 --
showcased his operatic singing. His
third effort, Viaggio Italiano, featured
famous arias and traditional songs from
Naples. Although released only in Italy,
the album sold more than 300,000 copies.
With his fourth album, Romanza, released
in 1997, Bocelli turned to pop music.
The album included the hit, {"&Time to
Say Goodbye,"} recorded as a duet with
Sarah Brightman. Bocelli continued to
focus on pop balladry with his fifth
album, Sogno, released in 1999, which
featured a duet with Celine Dion of the
David Foster- and Carole Bayer
Sager-penned tune, "The Prayer," sold
more than ten million copies, received a
Golden Globe award and led to Bocelli
being nominated for a Grammy as "Best
New Artist." |
